Category: Industrial

The combination of job growth and the surge in GDP during the long-running economic recovery has been a boon to the commercial real estate sector.

In Atlanta and across the country, there has been continued strong demand and absorption for virtually all product types, and capital has been readily available for investment.

But will the good times continue? What next?

That was the focus of Ackerman & Co.’s recently held 12th Annual Investor Conference, attended by some 150 guests, including owners, operators, investors and brokers.

Host Kris Miller and keynote speaker David Haddow weighed in with their perspective on current economic trends and their outlook for the commercial real estate sector. Joining them with in-depth discussions of investment opportunities for specific product types were F. Keene Miller (Brokerage), Leo Wiener (Retail), Brett Buckner (Industrial) and Evan Ziegler (Investments).

“After the last two years of success, growth and prosperity, the numbers would suggest that the future of commercial real estate has never been brighter. Yet each of us feels less certain than we did two years ago. Why? Is that how we should feel?” asked Kris Miller.

There are causes for concern, said David Haddow. Current economic soft spots, he said, include the rising national debt (now at $21.6 trillion, an increase of $10 trillion since 2008), government gridlock, fast-rising home prices and diminishing consumer confidence. Combined with those issues, the length of the current cycle (nearly 10 years) makes an economic correction more likely in the next 24 months, Kris added.

How should investors respond? Here are the three biggest takeaways provided by Kris and his Ackerman & Co. colleagues:

Stay on the field.

Focus on the specific strengths and weaknesses of each deal – rather than macro conditions across property types or markets.

Adopt a bias toward selling.

The annual conference also provided guests an opportunity to learn about Ackerman & Co.’s 2018 business highlights as well as its goals for the coming year.

Last year’s highlights included Ackerman’s $70-million sale of Braselton Logistics Center to Uline Inc.; the $9.75-million acquisition of the four-building Warren Drive industrial portfolio in Atlanta; the completion of the 181-key Crowne Plaza Hotel in North Augusta; and the $15-million disposition of seven industrial buildings at Stone Mountain Industrial Park, to name a few.

Kris and the team thank everyone for attending despite the rare winter-weather advisory in Atlanta!

He added that the ongoing strong demand for product – and lack of overbuilding in sectors such as office during this cycle – puts Atlanta in position to be a leading market for investors in 2018 and beyond.

The company’s annual Investor Conference is an opportunity for Ackerman & Co. to provide perspective on trends in commercial real estate and for guests to network with leading owners, operators, investors and capital sources.

Conference themes are sometimes broad in scope but this year the focus was squarely on the Atlanta market as Kris Miller addressed the question: Atlanta – the Next Gateway Market?

Atlanta lacks the land constraints, barriers to entry or “24/7” attributes of established gateway cities such as New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Boston. Yet, Miller added, Atlanta’s diversified economy, success at attracting corporate relocations and growth as an entertainment hub are bringing it closer to the status of a gateway market.

The Snapfinger/I-20 East industrial submarket is one of the tightest in Atlanta, with a vacancy rate of only 3.1 percent for all types of industrial product as of Q3 2017 – compared to 6.9 percent for the entire Atlanta market.

In addition to the extremely low vacancy levels – a clear indicator of strong demand – the submarket offers a strategic location for distributors.

These are two key reasons Ackerman & Co. decided to expand its Atlanta industrial portfolio with the acquisition of 801 Blacklawn Road, a 115,540-square-foot distribution facility in the Snapfinger/I-20 East submarket.

801 Blacklawn offers some of the best interstate access in the submarket, with two I-20 interchanges located only ½ and 1 ½ mile from the property.

The convenient location provides distributors connectivity to markets throughout the Southeast and to the fast-growing ports of Savannah and Charleston – located 234 and 292 miles away, respectively. Crucially, the property’s location just east of Atlanta enables distributors to avoid Atlanta’s most congested stretches of interstate to access the ports.

“This was an excellent opportunity to purchase well-located, shallow-bay space in a 44-million-square-foot Atlanta industrial submarket to provide additional high-quality space options for tenants, including distributors seeking last-mile service to consumers,” explained Kris Miller, President of Ackerman.

The shallow-bay design is a feature 801 Blacklawn shares with recent Ackerman acquisitions at Lavista Business Park in the Tucker/Stone Mountain submarket and Westgate Business Park in the I-20 West/Fulton industrial submarket.

Shallow-bay facilities (including 801 Blacklawn) typically offer multiple entries and flexible space options suitable to a wide range of users. Due to increasing demand for shallow-bay product and a lack of new supply, this property type is an attractive investment opportunity.

Beyond his business accomplishments, he was a philanthropist, and a friend and mentor to many.

On his passing, we share the thoughts of just a few of Charlie’s friends and colleagues.

“Charlie was a real estate legend. He was a great mentor, my partner, and my friend. He crammed 20 times more ‘life’ into his life than most of us will.” Kris Miller, President, Ackerman & Co.

“Charlie was a bold and future-focused real estate innovator. He was a wise and courageous entrepreneur, broker, investor and owner. His vision and leadership guided Ackerman & Co. to its highly respected position over many years.” Bob Mathews, President and CEO, Colliers International Atlanta

“A wonderful friend and inspirational mentor. I feel truly blessed to have worked with Charlie for the last 21 years.” Vivian Barnes, CFO and EVP, Ackerman & Co.

“Charlie was a truly inspiring leader. He not only grew Ackerman & Co. into a highly successful commercial real estate firm but later went on to found Ackerman Security Systems, which set the standard in home security. What an extraordinary life he led, and what a great experience it was to be his friend and learn from him over the years.” Keene Miller, President, Ackerman & Co. Brokerage Division

“He was the most competitive person I ever encountered. Whatever it took, he had to be No. 1. He had to win. He had to be out front. And he achieved it in every category.” Sam Massell, Buckhead Coalition President and former Atlanta Mayor

“While I recognized Charlie Ackerman was a fiercely competitive individual, I also thought of him as a gentle, passionate person – exuding a passion for the cultures and arts and history of mankind in all corners of the world. Charlie Ackerman was demanding, competitive, a perfectionist. But he also always was a true gentleman.” John Schaffner, founder of Buckhead View

As the old saying goes, “location, location, location” is all-important in commercial real estate.

Ben Campbell, who has been named Ackerman & Co.’s Broker of the Month for August (based on total transaction value), focuses on land sales in sought-after intown Atlanta districts such as Decatur, Avondale Estate and Old Fourth Ward.

One of the properties he was selected to market back in 2015 definitely had a strong location going for it. The property – containing a 37,750 square foot warehouse building and an additional 3.1 acres of land for sale – was located at 2969 East Ponce de Leon Avenue directly across from the busy DeKalb Farmers Market. That section of road had a high traffic count of 26,000 vehicles per day, a number that was likely to increase significantly with the planned expansion of the market that would triple its size.

Clearly, this was a prime opportunity for re-development.

The property became more challenging to market, however, with proposed modifications to the lane configuration on Ponce that would benefit DeKalb Farmers Market while eliminating direct access to the 2969 Ponce de Leon property.

However, Ben displayed useful traits of successful brokers – tenacity and determination – and closed the sale of the property for $2.2 million two-and-a-half years after he was selected by owner Custom Slip Cover & Upholstery. During that time, he came very close to reaching deals with two buyers who ultimately backed out due to concerns over the property’s access.

In August, his persistence paid off when he closed the property’s sale with a buyer (Oakhurst Realty Partners) who saw the potential of the strategic location inside the I-285 perimeter and plans to revitalize the property for future lease or sale.

The sale of 2969 Ponce de Leon earned Ben the Broker of the Month recognition. Ben said it was a great experience getting to know the two owners of the business and partnering with them to provide a solution that will contribute to their long-term success.

“It was a pleasure to work with the owners of that property, Chean Chea and Miguel Moreno. They’re dedicated to their field of work and the community, and this transaction will enable them to relocate to new space that’s ideal for their business,” Ben said.

In addition to the Ponce de Leon sale, Ben closed another large transaction earlier this year: the sale of a 3.2-acre parcel in the city of Avondale Estates to South City Partners that will be the site of a major mixed-use project.

Ben is currently working on numerous land listings in his core intown markets and others in metro Atlanta. Contact him at 770-913-3931 if you’re interested in any of these opportunities or would like him to market one of your properties for sale.

Did you know that 51% of all restaurants in metro Atlanta’s Gwinnett County are international? The county is a culinary hotspot for foodies seeking everything from Korean barbeque to Indian street food.

The qualities that have produced this vibrant food scene – ethnic diversity, strong population growth, a pro-business climate – also have contributed to Gwinnett County’s emergence as one of metro Atlanta’s most important business hubs.

As the chair of the Gwinnett Place Community Improvement District (CID) board of directors, Ackerman & Co.’s Leo Wiener has first-hand experience working on a variety of initiatives aimed at boosting Gwinnett’s ability to attract business. He’s been pleased to witness Gwinnett’s ongoing economic growth – in particular, the county’s success recruiting company headquarters.

Leo, who is President of Ackerman Retail, is featured in a GeorgiaTrend magazine article focused on this very subject. The steady flow of HQ relocations to Gwinnett County in recent years has certainly been impressive and the article notes that this trend shows no sign of abating.

One of the biggest HQ announcements in the past year was Boehringer Ingelheim’s decision to move its North American animal health pharmaceutical headquarters from St. Joseph, Mo., to Duluth.

“Having a multi-billion dollar international company such as Boehringer Ingelheim locate their U.S. headquarters in Gwinnett, and specifically within the Gwinnett Place CID, demonstrates that the area’s strategic location, its strong infrastructure and talent assets are clear benefits to business enterprises as they consider site selection,” Leo told the magazine.

With major infrastructure improvements planned to accommodate additional economic development and mixed-use projects under way (including a redevelopment of Infinite Energy Center) that will enhance the county’s urban amenities, Gwinnett is clearly primed for more population growth and economic prosperity. As the GeorgiaTrend article summed up, these sorts of projects are “just the thing to attract employees needed to keep the jobs engine humming across this bigger-is-better county.”

Braselton Logistics Center, one of the largest distribution centers currently under construction in metro Atlanta, is getting closer to completion.

As we mentioned on Twitter and Facebook earlier this week, the Ackerman & Co. project has achieved a new milestone, with construction now nearly complete on the 980,000 SF warehouse portion of the building. Ackerman arranged a special lunch to mark the construction milestone and thank crews for their hard work.

Jim Eyre, the project manager overseeing the huge development for Ackerman, said construction workers enjoyed the Mexican lunch buffet that was set up for them in the Braselton warehouse space.

“Good food goes a long way to show appreciation,” Jim said. “It’s not often that they get a chance to sit down for a few minutes like that during the day.”

Construction has moved smoothly on the state-of-the-art facility, with only a few hiccups due to an unusually rainy stretch in the early summer.

“Fortunately, weather hasn’t been a big factor,” Jim said.

The majority of the construction work going forward will involve the customized build-out of tenant Uline’s two-story office space, which will be completed in time for the company’s scheduled 1Q 2018 move-in.

The 1,000,812 SF facility, featuring 40-foot clear heights, will serve as Uline’s Southeast U.S. logistics hub. The distributor of shipping, packaging and industrial supplies will consolidate two area distribution operations in Duluth and Buford into the facility, which also provides additional space for future growth.

The Port of Savannah is constantly breaking its own records. Just this past month, the port surpassed its July record for cargo handled, moving 336,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent container units) – a nearly 7 percent increase over the previous July.

This is not only good news for Savannah’s economy – it also benefits Atlanta’s industrial market. That’s because many of the goods imported into Savannah are later trucked to Atlanta, one of the nation’s key distribution hubs.

As one of the top-10 consumer markets In the U.S. and a strategically located distribution hub, Atlanta is a logical market for retailers seeking to establish regional distribution centers that pack and ship products to stores, businesses and other end-users. Many of those items arrive in the U.S. via the Port of Savannah.

The roster of companies that have set up bulk distribution centers in Atlanta is proof of the city’s logistical benefits. In addition to the large existing centers in metro Atlanta for Google, PetSmart and others, online retailing giant Amazon.com recently announced plans for a more than 850,000-square-foot fulfillment center in Jackson County northeast of Atlanta that will create 1,000 jobs.

Those projects are indicative of the growing demand for industrial space in Atlanta, which is also spurring construction activity. Gross absorption in the Atlanta industrial market totaled 13.9 million square feet in the second quarter, up from 10.6 million in gross absorption during the same quarter a year ago. The construction pipeline remains active, with 13.2 million square feet under construction as of the second quarter.

Major projects under way in the metro area include Lambert Farms Logistics Park (1.5 million square feet) and Dollar General Distribution Center (1.2 million square feet).

Keene Miller, Ackerman & Co. President of Brokerage and also President of The Atlanta Commercial Board of Realtors, spoke at the 59th Million Dollar Club Banquet, celebrating the best in commercial real estate. The Atlanta Commercial Board of REALTORS® is one of the largest commercial in the nation with more than 2,200 members. The 2017 Million Dollar Club produced over a record-setting $26+ billion in commercial real estate transactions, surpassing the previous record of just over $25 billion, set in 2016.

Ackerman congratulates all Million Dollar Club award winners, including our own, for their outstanding achievements. Each of the following Ackerman brokers has generated in excess of four and a half million dollars in commercial real estate sales and leasing activity last year.

Ackerman & Co. has announced the recent acquisition of a three-building industrial portfolio in the Westgate Business Park in Atlanta, Ga. The three buildings (5215, 5245 and 5260 Westgate Drive) were purchased in an off-market deal from Clarion Partners, LLC for $7.55 million.

The three well-located, front-load, shallow-bay industrial buildings total 274,791 square feet and are fully occupied. Ackerman & Co.’s in-house team will provide leasing and management services for the new acquisition. The deal was facilitated by Cushman and Wakefield’s Stewart Calhoun and Casey Masters. The all-equity transaction was sourced through a new partnership with a leading European private equity group.

“The I-20W/Fulton Industrial Submarket continues to be a top performer with low vacancy and steady quarter-over-quarter average rental rate growth,” said Kris Miller, President of Ackerman & Co. “We are very excited about this opportunity to purchase highly functional industrial properties in a key submarket,” he added.

About Ackerman & Co.

Ackerman & Co. is one of the top commercial real estate companies in the Southeast with more than 35 million square feet of office, medical, retail and mixed-used space developed, nearly 8 million square feet more under management, an investment portfolio valued at more than $1 billion and a widespread presence that leverages the experience of more than 100 real estate professionals.